Potato, Sausage & Kale Soup

January is national soup month. Did you know that? I love soup. Probably more than the average person. I could eat soup anytime - winter, spring, summer or fall. I was in the mood for potato, sausage and kale soup. Kinda like the zuppa toscana at Olive Garden. I found an easy and delicious recipe at marthastewart.com which I only tweaked a little. It was delicious!

Ingredients 

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes

5 waxy potatoes (1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks

3 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth (I ended up adding an additional large can of broth, because it got too thick)  

1 bunch kale (12 ounces), stemmed and shredded

12 ounces smoked chicken sausage, cut into 1/2-inch half moons (I crumbled 4 sausage patties)

 Directions

1. In a large pot (6 to 8 quarts), heat oil over medium. Add onion and cook until soft, stirring, 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and red-pepper flakes; cook unti fragrant, 1 minute. Add potatoes and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer until potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. In a blender, puree half the soup (or keep it in the pot and mash with a potato masher by hand, like I did). Return to pot; add kale and sausage. Simmer until kale is wilted, 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve it with some crusty Italian bread, and I am happy.

Broccoli-Cheese Soup

The Pioneer Woman strikes again! This time with her recipe for Broccoli Cheese Soup. Talk about delicious and easy to make! Andrew loved this stuff! I love soup of all kinds, but Andrew usually says they're too "thin and broth-y." He likes soups that are thick and chunky. Clam chowder. Broccoli cheese. You know, the ones with the most calories. This one was a hit! I served it in little bread bowls, like Ree suggested. Even better!

Ingredients: 

1 whole Onion, Diced 

1 stick 1/2 Cup Butter 

1/3 cup Flour 

4 cups Whole Milk 

2 cups Half-and-half 

4 heads Broccoli Cut Into Florets 

1 pinch Nutmeg 

3 cups Grated Cheese (mild Cheddar, Sharp Cheddar, Jack, Etc.) 

Small Dash Of Salt (more If Needed) 

Freshly Ground Black Pepper 

Splash Of Chicken Broth If Needed For Thinning

Directions:

Melt butter in a pot over medium heat, then add the onions. Cook the onions for 3 to 4 minutes, then sprinkle the flour over the top. Stir to combine and cook for 1 minute or so, then pour in milk and half-and-half. Add nutmeg, then add broccoli, a small dash of salt, and plenty of black pepper.

Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender. Stir in cheese and allow to melt.

Taste seasonings and adjust if needed. Then either serve as is, or mash it with a potato masher to break up the broccoli a bit, or transfer to a blender in two batches and puree completely. (If you puree it in a blender, return it to the heat and allow to heat up. Splash in chicken broth if needed for thinning.)

Enjoy!

Italian Garden Soup (Easiest. Soup. Ever.)

When I'm in the mood for soup but don't have a lot of time, I pull this recipe out of my back pocket. Well actually, I pull it out of a 3-ring recipe binder. My Mom clipped this out of a magazine. It really is the easiest soup ever. If you can open a can, you can make this soup. It takes a total of 13 minutes from start to finish. Unless you really can't open a can. Then it might take a little longer. You can find it here at the Del Monte website, where they also have other recipes. Click on the recipe image above to save or print your own copy.

Ingredients:
1 can (14.5 oz) Del Monte Italian Beans, drained
1 can (14.5 oz) Del Monte Zucchini with Italian-Style Tomato Sauce
1 can (14.5 oz) Del Monte Peas & Carrots
1 can (14.5 oz) Del Monte Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic and Oregano
1 can (14.5 oz) Chicken or Beef Broth

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in large pot. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with breadsticks or warm bread. 4-6 Servings.

This recipe is vegetarian, but I have added ground beef to it. All you do is brown 1 LB. of ground beef, drain fat and add to the soup with an additional can of chicken or beef broth.

Snowy Soupy Day

 

January is here. In full force. The current temperature is 12 degrees F, but it feels like -3! Brrrrrrrr. There's my hard-working husband, sweeping snow off my car and shoveling the driveway so we could go to church this morning. What better way to warm you up on a day like this, than some homemade chicken soup? That's what's simmering on the stove right now. I love making chicken soup. It's so easy and inexpensive, and makes a lot. I vary the ingredients each time, depending on what vegetables I want to use. Here is the basic recipe (feel free to add your own spin to it):

Chicken Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken fryer (or rotisserie chicken)
1 48oz can reduced sodium chicken broth
celery
onion
3-4 cloves garlic
1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
carrots (I buy the pre-sliced ones to save time)
sliced mushrooms (or other vegetable of choice)

baby spinach (I didn't have any this time, but I usually add a whole bag at the end)
Spices of choice (parsley, pepper, garlic salt, etc.) 
small pasta (if you would like to serve it with noodles)


Directions:
Start by heating olive oil in the bottom of a large stock pot. Add chopped garlic and onions and saute until softened. Wash off the whole chicken and remove excess skin or fat (this is the worst part! I cringe every time I have to handle "the bird"). Place whole chicken into the stock pot with the garlic and onions, and add 48oz can of chicken broth. Add enough water to almost completely cover the chicken. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, then simmer/boil until chicken is cooked through. I don't know exactly how long it took, but it was about an hour or so. Once chicken meat is white and cooked, remove chicken from pot and place on a plate to cool. Reduce heat. Skim fat/excess oil/onions and garlic off the top of the broth and discard. Chop vegetables and add to the broth (celery, additional onions/scallions, carrots, mushrooms) as well as desired spices (parsley, pepper, garlic salt).
While vegetables start cooking in the broth, remove and shred meat off of the cooled chicken, into a bowl (make sure chicken is in bite size pieces). Once chicken is cleaned (I consider myself to be an expert chicken cleaner, is that a skill?), add it to the soup. Bring everything back up to a simmer until vegetables are cooked. Add spinach last, and allow to wilt. I usually cook a small size pasta in a separate pan, and add it to the soup only when it's time to eat. I have found that adding pasta to the whole pot, tends to make the pasta mushy and not-so-great when it's re-heated.

There you have it - hot chicken vegetable soup for a cold winter's day. Enjoy and stay warm!